Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   DIY - Do it yourself (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do-yourself/)

-   -   DIY: Gearbox Oil Change (VW Polo) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do-yourself/205907-diy-gearbox-oil-change-vw-polo.html)

Gearbox oil change:

Done and dusted!

I replaced the transmission oil during October last year and it’s a fairly straight forward job. I've penned down the steps briefly along with the tools, parts and consumables used. I used the OEM transmission oil and did not bother with the alternative makes and grades. It was getting more and more confusing, the more I read about it. For manual transmissions, it’s always a good idea to change the transmission fluid once every 1L km or 5 years. The stock fluid would have become mucky and will have those micro metal particles from the grinding of the gears inside the box. VW does not mandate an exact time-frame for the replacement of the fluid for manual transmissions; for the AT boxes, it is scheduled for every 60k km intervals. As it stands, there were no issues w.r.t. slotting of the gears on my car; the gearbox was working perfectly.

Tools required:

1. A 17 mm 1/2" hex bit socket (for removing the engine sump drain plug)
   
   
2. A ratcheting socket wrench with a 1/2" drive
   
   
3. A plastic/metal tray (for collecting the stock transmission oil drained from the sump)
   
   
4. A plastic funnel + 1/2 in. hose (to pour the replacement oil into the gearbox)
   
   
   
   
5. 4 x jack stands
   
   
6. A hydraulic jack of suitable SWL

Consumables required:

1. Gear oil – 1 x 1 L bottle, part no. G 052 512 A2

Procedure:

1. Jack up the car and support the car on jack stands on all 4 corners. The car should have a slight tilt towards the AFT. This will permit a slightly higher amount of oil to be poured through the filler hole.





2. This is the gearbox’s sump:



The filler hole up close:



And the drain hole:



Using the 17 mm hex-bit socket on the ratcheting wrench, unplug the filler plug. Never unscrew the drain plug first! God forbid, if you cannot for some reason, unscrew the filler plug after removing the drain plug and draining all the transmission oil, you cannot drive the car and you’re stuck! Since the plugs are torqued from the assembly line, you may want to give the wrench a slight dab for the plug to move the first quarter turn.

3. Once the filler plug is unscrewed, unscrew the drain plug and drain the stock fluid, right down to the last drop:



Clean the area using some rag cloth. Both the plugs are identical and are interchangeable.



4. Clean the plugs thoroughly, especially the threads using a discarded toothbrush for any muck and screw the drain plug back in place. I preferred using the socket wrench and hand-tightened the plug instead of using the torque wrench.



5. Pop the hood, insert the funnel-hose through the engine bay...:



...and route the outlet of the hose inside the filler plug:



6. Pour the replacement fluid through the funnel until it starts dripping out of the filler hole. At this point, stop the pouring, remove the funnel-hose assembly and screw the filler plug back in place. Clean the area using the rag cloth.

7. Remove the jack stands, close the hood and take a test drive to check if everything is alright. I did not experience any apparent difference in the performance of the gearbox – it was slotting the same way as before! :)

Check out the difference between the stock fluid and the replacement fluid:



Having worn the overalls, I must share a pic of me working with the car:



stupid:

Many thanks to Sheethal for sourcing the gearbox oil and sending it over!

As always a great DIY @Gannu_1. Thanks for sharing.

I changed my car's GB oil last year (used LM 75W-90 GL4+) but had to take it to a FNG and use his car lift/hoist. And what you say about removing the filler plug first is absolutely spot on. The 2nd advantage is the old oil also drains out faster when the filler is removed.

Wanted to ask you - what jack stands are you using i.e. the brand and tonnage? Ditto for the floor jack. Thanks in advance for your inputs.

Good job, thanks for sharing. Very good tip on the filler plug first!

Just wondering, no magnets to be found/seen to catch any metal particles on this VW box it seems. Sometimes they are mounted inside the plugs.

You do not mention anything about the temperature of the oil? Did you warm up engine/box first?

Jeroen

:confused: Why jack up the rear end?
No washers or gaskets on those plugs?
My question too. Most drain plugs have a magnet to trap metal particles and take them out of circulation. Not present here?
True. Very necessary to drain after a short warm-up drive, and not on a cold engine sitting overnight. Applies to both engine and transmission fluids.

Probably to level the car, like it would be on a 4 post or a ramp.

This nut fits similarly to an NPT fitting, the slight taper provides the sealing. Thats why it does not screw all the way in.

Not on this model VW, i bought an aftermarket drain nut for mine with a magnet in the center depression.

Not really necessary on a manual transmission, all the oil in the transmission settles to the sump of the GB and it drains out with all the collected debris. No point in mixing it all up by trying to warm it up in a tropical climate.

Just thought I would mention this since it would be useful to everyone.

As per the official VW service manual, after adding new gear oil and screwing on the filler hole plug, it is required to start the engine, engage gears, and allow the gearbox to turn for approximately 2 minutes. Following this, the filler hole plug should be removed again, and more gear oil added until the oil level is at the bottom edge of the filler hole. Finally after this, the filler hole plug should be again screwed on.

Then we are good to go. I thought I had mentioned this in my Vento ownership thread, but I apparently forgot to mention it.

Edit: We did this while the car was still on the workshop lift. Not sure if it is okay to perform with the car on jack stands.

Edit 2: If I remember correctly, the manual transmission in Petrol variants has different filler/drain plugs. Either Torx or Spline bit of the suitable size is needed for those. I cannot remember which one of those two was it.

Thanks for the useful thread. Details on the cost & source of the GB oil is highly appreciated :)

"Using the 17 mm hex-bit socket on the ratcheting wrench, unplug the filler plug. Never unscrew the drain plug first! God forbid, if you cannot for some reason, unscrew the filler plug after removing the drain plug and draining all the transmission oil, you cannot drive the car and you’re stuck! "

I was stuck once, when for the first time I changed the engine oil of my Qualis several years back. I drained the oil and could not open the filler cap. I had to call a mechanic from the nearby FNG to open it.

In another instance I could not open the oil filter - I had to puncture it with a screw driver, put it through the filter to get some leverage, and then managed to turn it. It's most likely that in the last service at the AMC they turned it beyond the recommended torque.

Dear Gannu

From where can we source the OE VW Gear oil?

How did you dispose off the old gear box oil? Handed off to FNG?

Awesome DIY as always. :thumbs up

Sorry for the late response man! I sourced it through a friend but you can get it from the official service center/authorised part retailers with the part number.

Yep.